Function

[EPHB4_HUMAN] Receptor tyrosine kinase which binds promiscuously transmembrane ephrin-B family ligands residing on adjacent cells, leading to contact-dependent bidirectional signaling into neighboring cells. The signaling pathway downstream of the receptor is referred to as forward signaling while the signaling pathway downstream of the ephrin ligand is referred to as reverse signaling. Together with its cognate ligand/functional ligand EFNB2 plays a central role in heart morphogenesis and angiogenesis through regulation of cell adhesion and cell migration. EPHB4-mediated forward signaling controls cellular repulsion and segregation form EFNB2-expressing cells. Plays also a role in postnatal blood vessel remodeling, morphogenesis and permeability and is thus important in the context of tumor angiogenesis.[1][2]

Evolutionary Conservation

Publication Abstract from PubMed

Crystallographic studies of a range of 3-substituted anilinopyrimidine inhibitors of EphB4 have highlighted two alternative C-2 aniline conformations and this discovery has been exploited in the design of a highly potent series of 3,5-disubstituted anilinopyrimidines. The observed range of cellular activities has been rationalised on the basis of physicochemical and structural characteristics.